NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Michael Shafer founded and manages Warm Heart, a grassroots community development organization serving North Thailand. He is also a Professor (Emeritus) of International Political Economy, Rutgers University (BA Yale, PhD Harvard, Council on Foreign Relations).

Shafer is an award-winning teacher, global consultant and author who has published in journals such as Comparative Politics, Foreign Policy and International Organization, and with presses such as Beacon, Cornell, Farrar-Strauss and Princeton. Prior to retiring in 2008 to found Warm Heart, he also worked to transform universities throughout the newly democratic world with funds from foundations, the European Union, USAID, and the US State Department. He created Global PACT, a democratic capacity-building program run in post-war reconciliation (the Balkans) and poverty-reduction modes (Brazil, Cambodia, Mongolia, South Africa and Thailand).

Shafer now focuses on Warm Heart, climate change mitigation and poverty reduction through social entrepreneurship. The Governments of Canada, Thailand and the U.S. support his climate change work in Thailand, while private and government funders support his work in China. Warm Heart is now pursuing projects in Malawi and East Africa, as well as North Ghana. Recent publications have appeared in the Council on Foreign Relations Development Channel, Eco-Business, Nation and International Biochar Initiative. Warm Heart won the World Energy Globe 2017 Award (Thailand).